It started in unconvincing fashion – and ended with positives and plaudits.
When Lee Carsley walked out of the tunnel just before kick-off at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, he made the mistake of turning the wrong way and walking towards the Republic of Ireland dugout.
But his day got better as England turned on the style to sweep their opponents aside 2-0 in his first game as interim boss.
England fans have been craving exciting and entertaining football, which was in limited supply under previous head coach Gareth Southgate, despite their run to this summer’s European Championship final.
“The expression, the freedom to express yourself was missing from Euro 2024,” said winger Anthony Gordon, who was limited to just one late substitute appearance at the tournament.
“We controlled games but we werent dynamic. We weren’t relentless. We lacked dynamism and excitement.”
In Dublin, England played with a zip and a swagger to give their fans reason to be believe that ‘Carsball’ could be a good option for the future.
They created six big chances, more than in any of their matches at Euro 2024, and had a significantly higher expected goal count. They also had more shots than in any of their Euro matches, bar one.
‘Handbrake came off’
England carved out 16 attempts – with nine on target – as they played with a freshness and a vigour that was sadly lacking in some of their games at Euro 2024.
Harry Kane came under heavy criticism in the summer and there were even calls for the England captain to be dropped.
In Dublin, he had four attempts as he showed flashes that he was back to his threatening best in his 99th England match, with Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka delivering the ammunition high up the pitch.
Both constantly pushed ahead of lone striker Kane to offer real support, unlike during the Euros when he appeared isolated too often, as shown in the graphic below comparing England’s average positions in their group draw against Slovenia – a team just six places above Republic of Ireland in the Fifa rankings – to Saturday’s display.
Gordon looked like a player with a point to prove – having played six minutes in the summer – with two key passes, while he tested goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher three times.
“Anthony Gordon has been willing to run in behind, which is something England haven’t had for a while, and then they flood the box,” said former England striker Ian Wright on ITV.
Asked after the game if England’s slick passing and movement – particularly for Jack Grealish‘s goal that put England 2-0 up – was ‘Carsball’, Carsley said: “It’s definitely not that.
“It’s the players that are capable of receiving the ball in tight areas and playing through. They should take the credit.”
Former Three Lions keeper Paul Robinson, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said England had been transformed compared with the side that was on show two months ago.
“What we saw in the first half was a completely different England, and for want of a better phrase, the handbrake has come off, and you want to see more of the same.”
‘A performance Carsley will have dreamed about’
Declan Rice, who turned out three times for the Republic of Ireland as a teenager, was taunted by the home fans in the sell-out crowd for switching allegiance.
He silenced them with the goal that put the visitors ahead before supplying the assist for Grealish, himself a former Republic of Ireland youth player, to make it 2-0.
Rice got further forward than he ever did at the European Championship, while Kobbie Mainoo also looked to be positive.
There looked to be new freedom to England’s play, having all too often stuck rigidly to two holding midfielders in the summer.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold – making his first start as England right-back for almost four years – provided two wonderful chances for Kane and Gordon.
“There was a fluidity in positions, Trent Alexander-Arnold drifting into midfield, Kobbie Mainoo getting forward, and also Declan Rice, which is where the first goal came from,” added Robinson.
“We saw a lot more forward thinking. The first thought was to go forward.
“England’s performance is probably exactly what Lee Carsley would have been dreaming about last night. He would have wanted his team to be in control, play with a high tempo, press high, keep a clean sheet, score a couple of goals and be tidy in possession.
“It could not have gone any better.”
There appeared a real control about England’s play, demonstrated perfectly by Jordan Pickford‘s willingness to play out from the back.
At Euro 2024, the England goalkeeper all too often kicked long aimless balls, with 49% of his passes being long. On Saturday, only 18.5% were long passes, allowing the Three Lions to keep possession.
‘One of the proudest days of my career’
The pre-match talk was dominated by overnight headlines that Carsley would not sing the national anthem before kick-off, something he also chose not to do when he played for the Republic of Ireland.
“It doesn’t make me any less committed,” he said afterwards.
Carsley, who has been appointed interim manager for at least two games, added: “Today was one of the proudest days of my career… to lead a team out in Dublin.”
There was much to admire about about his team’s performance, although it was perhaps inevitable that they would tail off.
Their second-half performance showed that England remain a work in progress.
And the FA bosses are unlikely to read too much into a single match as they mull who England’s full-time manager should be.
But it’s so far, so good for England’s understated caretaker boss, and confidence is high as attention turns to Tuesday’s home match with Finland.
Now Carsley just has to remember which way to turn when he walks out of the tunnel at Wembley.
